I bought the Tiger Katana expecting a good, honest production line shinken that would ‘do the job’ and nothing more. I have had it for a few days now and spent some time performing kata. Here are my initial opinions, based on my limited knowledge of sword appraisal:
I have not attached pictures, however I would recommend visitng Blades UK (
http://www.blades-uk.com) – they have some excellent photos (I would also highly recommend their fast, quality service to anyone in the market for a Katana).
Tsuka:
The first thing that struck me about the Tiger Katana was the quality of the tsukamaki. The diamonds are small, evenly spaced and very tight. There is no wood visible underneath the ito and no movement in the kashira. In this respect it is a big step forward from older Paul Chen models that I have handled. The Ito is cotton, and although it is good quality cotton and nice to hold it does not have the attractive sheen of silk ito. I would say the Tsukamaki is not quite up to Nosyu standard, but still very nice for a production piece.
The Same is of reasonable quality, with small, evenly spaced nodules and no discolouration or blemishes. Unfortunately, the same is in panels rather than a full wrap, but I have only seen much more expansive Katanas come with a full wrap.
The Tsuka is wider and does not have the “box like” quality associated with some Paul Chen Katanas. Although the tsuka does not appear to have any shaping to it (i.e. not hourglass or tapered), I found it comfortable to hold even after an hour of kata.
Koshirae:
The Tiger Katana looks more subdued that many Paul Chen offerings, although it has the styling touches that one associates with Paul Chen and could hardly be called understated. Paul Chen styling may not be to everyone’s taste, but I think it works in the case of the Tiger, with the general appearance being sharp and well defined.
The tsuba is blackened iron with Tiger and bamboo leaves picked out in brass coloured paint. There is plenty of detail to see on close inspection, however I think the paint could have been applied with more care. The rest of the koshirae are also blackened iron and have been beaten to give a dimpled appearance, which I personally like. Fittings for the Kojiri and Kurikata are also nice to have at the price. My only niggle is that these fittings have been dry-brushed with a copper coloured paint. I would have preferred them to be left in their non-dry-brushed black.
The Saya is black with a gloss lacquer and small pieces of brass inlaid in the shape of bamboo leaves – a nice touch. The paint finish is smooth and evenly applied; although I feel that the lacquer could have been thicker and more smoothly applied.
The habaki is a standard brass affair, with a small <1mm gap showing on one side of the blade. However, everything is well put together, with no motion in any of the fittings.
The koshirae may not stand up to close artistic inspection, but overall I feel they lend a very pleasing appearance to the sword.
The blade:
The fist thing to grab the attention is the hada. There is plenty to see, and although I can’t comment on its specific qualities, it is very pleasing to the eye. At a guess I would say the hada is mokume style, looking like knotted wood.
The hamon came as a pleasant surprise when I drew the sword for the first time. Again, at a guess, I would say the hamon is midare, without the forced and unnatural look that I have associated with production blades in the past.
The blade has been given a mirror polish, but unfortunately the ji and bo-hi have some waviness to them that seems to be common with production blades. However, the ha and mune appear to be totally straight.
The blade is beefier than other Paul Chen blades that I have seen and, combined with the ko-kisakki the blade has a nice purposeful look to it. The edge is carving-knife sharp; not sharp enough to shave paper, but easily sharp enough to focus one’s attention!
Overall, I feel the positive qualities outweigh the negative and I like the blade very much.
Handling:
I am 6’2” with a long reach and heavy build. Due to the size and weight of this blade, some people may find a smaller Katana to be more suitable. However, I found its dimensions and balance to be ideal.
Although the blade is long at around 30", the ko-kissaki makes it a breeze to draw. The tsuka is also long at 13.5", but I found this to be well suited to my size and reach. I found the balance more to my liking than any other production shinken or iai-to that I have handled. Some blades have been too tip heavy and others too light, but the Tiger feels just right in my hands – absolutely spot-on.
The only disappointment was that the mouth of the saya had a very large shim made from balsa wood or similar material. The habaki caught on this shim with every noto, which is less than I would expect from any brand new katana. However, some work with a nail file quickly solved this. The blade now tracks smothely into the saya and fits tightly, with no rattling.
Conclusion:
I’ll get the bad out of the way first; under detailed inspection, the fit and finish of the blade are not perfect and the use of a large shim in the saya was disappointing. Apart from the shim, this is what I would expect from a production blade. However, the overall look of the Tiger Katana has drawn only praise from friends, and it is all very securely put together. What I did not expect was the attractive appearance of the hamon and hada and absolutely superb balance. All in all, I felt that I got more than I paid for, which in this day and age is quite something.
Highly recommended.
